Hardware-in-the-Loop Experimental Validation for a Lab-Scale Microgrid Targeted by Cyberattacks

Information and communication technologies are being implemented in the power industry to develop smarter power grids termed as cyber-physical power systems. Along with the privileges of modern power networks such as reduced total operation cost, they may be negatively affected by cyberattacks including false data injection (FDI) attacks. As a case in point, an adversary can detour security systems, penetrate into the cyber-physical layer, and manipulate the information leading to security threats. This paper presents the development of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed for a lab-scale microgrid (MG) located at Southern Illinois University Carbondale to study FDI cyberattacks and the corresponding imposed impacts on the operation of the MG. The proposed framework is established on an OPAL-RT platform, which is a real-time simulator incorporating software/hardware-based simulations, simultaneously. The developed HIL setup comprises data acquisition unit, controllers, and different analog/digital inputs/outputs. The MG contains wind turbines and photovoltaic modules and is able to operate in grid-tied and standalone modalities. The experimental results validate the effects of FDI cyberattacks on the lab-scale MG and verify the resilience of the targeted MG in different scenarios.